Fostering Student Creativity with Multimedia

In recent discussions of technology in the classroom, a controversial issue has been whether media should be used as a tool in classrooms. On the one hand, some argue that the paper and pen is the best way to teach students. From this perspective, they believe that the media is a distraction and unnecessary in the classroom and takes away from the material the students are learning, and sticking to the “old” ways of teaching. On the other hand, however, others argue that their is a place in the classroom for technology. According to this view, they see the value in using podcasts, live streaming and iTunes in the classroom; they see the importance of students having to make their own podcasts and live streaming to help students express themselves and their understanding of school work in different ways. In sum then, the issue is whether technology is beneficial in the classrooms or is a distraction and should stick to the “old” ways.

My own view is that technology use in the classroom is beneficial to students learning. Though I concede that the technology could be a distraction to students, I still maintain that their is an importance of technology usage in the classroom to help educate the students in the twenty first century. For example, having students create podcasts and videos showing their understanding of their work helps increase the amount of understanding the student will have because the students will have to talk out the steps on homework. Also, this is a fun way for students to express themselves . The issue is important because technology is growing all around and students are having easier access to technology at their finger tips, we need to continue to find new ways to use technology in the classroom rather than pushing it away.